


The Morning After

by thinkpink20



Category: The OC
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-28
Updated: 2012-02-28
Packaged: 2017-10-31 21:20:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/348478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thinkpink20/pseuds/thinkpink20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryan was reading the broadsheet newspaper at the kitchen counter, one hand idly holding his bagel when he heard groaning from the hallway...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Morning After

Ryan was reading the broadsheet newspaper at the kitchen counter, one hand idly holding his bagel when he heard groaning from the hallway. He bent the newspaper in half and listened carefully for a few more minutes.

There was more groaning, and he frowned.

“Seth?”

He was answered only through the medium of groan so he decided the best thing to do was go and see what was going on this time. He left his bagel and his newspaper on the counter.

“Seth, what are you doing on the floor?”

He looked uncomfortable, curled up like that.

“Head,” Seth managed to say, hands gesticulating even from that angle.

“Don’t you think you’re being just a little dramatic?” Ryan asked, leaning against the banister at the bottom of the stairs. “Shall I get you some aspirin?”

Seth nodded, or at least Ryan interpreted it as a nod.

Moments later as he was fixing up said aspirin, Seth appeared next to him at the sink, eyes squinting from the sun. “Too bright,” he explained, after dropping the shades.

“So, your first hang-over?” Ryan asked, passing over the tablets and water to Seth.

“I’m never drinking. Ever again.”

Ryan had heard that many a time before, but he didn’t want to think about that.

“You were drinking from the wine bottle by the end of the night.”

“I was trying to destroy the evidence.”

“You were trying to out-drink Luke, a seasoned professional.”

“I wasn’t having him beat me.”

Ryan rolled his eyes, then went back to the breakfast bar and pulled his paper over to him.

“You still mad at me?”

Ryan looked up. The puppy dog eyes were in full play, and Seth knew just what he was doing, his bed-head sticking up like that, his boxer shorts slung low on his hips.

“I was never mad in the first place.”

“Yes you were, you shouted last night and told me I was gross.”

“You were throwing up on my shoes.”

“Would you have preferred it to be in your lap?”

Ryan gave him the ‘that’s not funny’ glare, and Seth shut up. Momentarily.

“You also said everyone was staring at me like I was insane.”

“They were. You were doing your impression of Beyonce, whilst dancing on the coffee table.”

Seth scoffed. “I doubt it, that coffee table would never take my weight!”

Ryan leant back on his stool and checked the mess in the living room. His smug look made Seth put down his empty glass and go and see the damage. There was more groaning, but of a different kind.

“Fuck!”

“Yes,” Ryan said dryly, sipping his coffee. “You said that last night too.”

“What are mom and dad going to say?” Seth ran his fingers through his hair, wide eyed and panicking.

“You told them already.”

“I did?”

“You phoned them to tell them.”

“What did I say?” Seth had gone deathly white and Ryan wondered if he was going to pass out. Again.

“I think it was…’Your ugly coffee table is dead, I’ll buy you a new one.’”

“Fuck!”

“That’s not the worst bit.”

“It’s not?”

Ryan shook his head, looking solemn.

“What? Ryan, what?”

“The Beyonce impression…”

“I know, it’s terrible, isn’t it? I just can’t seem to get the hip roll right, and I need a weave to make it complete really. Maybe we should look up some fancy dress hire and – “

“The song was ‘Crazy In Love.’”

“So?”

“So you sang it to me.”

Seth actually gasped, and Ryan thought maybe it was the first time ever Seth had been speechless.

“You called me Jay-Z.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, I think that about sums it up.”

“I didn’t….”

“Didn’t what?”

“I didn’t….kiss you, in front of Marissa and Summer and Luke, did I?”

“Seth, you kissed me in front of everyone.” 

Silence, then a groan, and Seth buried his head in his hands.

“This is doing nothing for my hangover.” It was muffled, and Ryan was tempted to laugh. “What did everyone say?”

“You really want to know?”

There was a pause. “Yes, I think so. It’s best for me to know, so I can prepare for the pee in my shoes at school.”

“I’ll kick anyone’s ass who pees in you shoes,” Ryan said, his eyes flicking over the Economy section of the paper, then taking another sip of coffee. “Luke seemed to find the whole thing very amusing, actually.”

“He did?” Seth’s hands flew away from his face. 

“He said that obviously gay was the new thing, and that maybe he should try it for himself.”

Seth was shocked to the core. Luke? 

“He never said ‘told you so’? Not even once?”

“Oh, yeah, he said that.” Ryan nodded.

Seth groaned. “And Summer?”

“Summer asked to see more, Marissa vomited on your mom’s new rug.”

Seth ran off immediately to see the damage.

“How much had she drank?”

“More than usual, she’s never usually sick, although I think it says something for us that we’re now officially a visual emetic.”

Seth sat heavily down on the stool next to Ryan. “So we’re out?”

Ryan nodded. “Look’s like it.”

“And you were sober the entire night?”

“Someone had to be.”

Seth was quiet for a long time, and Ryan went back to his paper.

“I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Ryan said, turning his page.

“I don’t mean I’ll never consume alcohol again, but never like that, never past tipsy, ever again, I promise.”

Ryan looked up. “You can drink as much as you like, Seth.”

“I know I can,” Seth said, “Although obviously I’m a terrible lightweight, but what I mean is I don’t want to. You had that with your mom and Marissa, you won’t get it with me.”

“I don’t – “

“Care. Yes you do. You hate it, it’s the one thing that makes you feel trapped, like you’re stuck going backwards. I won’t do that to you.” Seth screwed up his face in pain, then put his hand to his head. “I won’t do that to myself.” 

Ryan thought about it. “Am I that obvious?”

“Only to me.”

Seth kissed him on the cheek, felt the stubble against his lips. “Anything else I should know about? Removal of underwear? Proposals of marriage? Kissing Julie Cooper?”

“You may have done, had she been there.” Seth hit Ryan on the arm. “You did commend Luke on that, though.”

“I did?”

“You told him you admired him in his sexual conquests.”

Seth laughed. “Dude, I was wasted.”

“Then you told him I was very good in bed and that you’d never been this satisfied sexually.”

“Oh fuck.”

“That’s the reason Summer slapped you.”

“I thought my face was red from lying on the floor in the hall!” 

Ryan watched as Seth pawed at his bruised skin.

“No, unfortunately not.”

“Oh God, this is not good.”

Seth pulled the neck of his t-shirt up to the top of his head, in an effort to hide.

“Oh, and Seth?”

Seth peeked an eye over the top of his t-shirt. “Hmm?”

“I love you too.”

Seth dropped the neck of his t-shirt in shock.

“I said…..?”

“Just after you hurled on my shoes.”

“How romantic of me.”

“Well, it’s not something I’ll forget,” Ryan smiled, flicking through the paper to the tv guide.

“Ryan?”

“Hmm?”

“I do though.”

Ryan looked up.

“I know, Seth.”

“And from now on I’m having no more than blessed wine at religious holidays.”

“I know, Seth.”

“You know what I heard is great for hang-overs?”

“Greasy breakfast?”

Seth frowned. “Not exactly, although that could be good.”

“What then?”

“Sex. Lots of it, with my boyfriend.”

“You’re making that up, aren’t you?”

“Only slightly.”

Taking the newspaper from Ryan’s hands, Seth leaned in for a kiss. “It’s worth a try though, don’t you think?”

Ryan thought it was.


End file.
